Incorporating Consumer Insights into the UK Food Packaging Supply Chain in the Transition to a Circular Economy
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
- Understand the current development process for FTG packaging including at what stages they engage with consumers.
- Evaluate how the consumer behaviour methods could be applied within the FTG development process, their strengths, and weaknesses and how they could be used.
3. Results and Findings
3.1. Existing Consumer Engagement in the FTG Packaging Development Process
3.1.1. Consumer Engagement at the Front End of the Development Process
3.1.2. Consumer Engagement at the Back End of the Development Process
3.1.3. Consumer Engagement Identified as Missing within the Development Process
“I think what is interesting for me coming from the task already is there is some insight that we’ve got from either something that the end consumer is doing or something that is happening in the world, an environmental issue or something. We get on and do all this mess. And then we go back to the end consumer when we’ve decided what good is.”(FPR01)
3.2. The Need to Better Understand How Consumers Dispose of FTG Packaging out of the Home
Consumer Behaviour Driven Packaging Development Considerations
3.3. Stakeholder Evaluation of How Consumer Behaviour Methods Could be Applied
3.3.1. Evaluation of Consumer Behaviour Research Methods
3.3.2. Changes Required in the Supply Chain Process
3.3.3. Incorporating the Consumer within Future CE Packaging Development Process
“You’ve got the consumer, but you’ve got the recycler and the printer with the food processor. Because I think it needs to be three-way, it needs to have all that scoping out of materials. Which is the best material sustainability wise? Can it be recycled? What are the credentials about the material recyclability?”(PMN01)
“It needs to be a wider piece of work that could be referenced to every product going through. So, we know how many are on the market. This is the pack, can you do an assessment to see physically how many of these came through the facility when you look at the funnel of where they would go to in the process? To work out the real recovery rate of that individual pack. We haven’t done any of it yet, but the question has been asked a couple of times.”(REC01)
3.4. The Strengths and Weaknesses of Incorporating Behavioural Insights into the Process
3.4.1. Strengths of Incorporating Behavioural Insights
3.4.2. Weaknesses of Incorporating Behavioural Insights
“Depends on the sample size as well. Because if you get a smaller sample size and it’s kind of scattered, it’s not really helpful. Or if you get a smaller group size and it’s all positive, is it all just specific for that demographic?”(FPR07)
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Appendix B (Co-design Workshop Sheets)
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Participant Code | Job Role | Stakeholder Group | Workshop Group |
---|---|---|---|
RET01 | Senior Packaging Technologist | Retailer company A | Both |
FPR01 | Product Development Controller | Food Processor company B | Red |
FPR02 | Packaging Development Manager | Food Processor company B | Blue |
FPR03 | Insight Manager | Food Processor company B | Blue |
FPR04 | Packaging Product Developer (FTG) | Food Processor company B | Red |
FPR05 | Packaging Development Manager | Food Processor company C | Blue |
FPR06 | Development Controller | Food Processor company C | Red |
FPR07 | Packaging Development Manager | Food Processor company D | Red |
PMN01 | Senior Business Development Manager | Packaging Manufacturer company E | Blue |
PMN02 | Head of Construction Design | Packaging Manufacturer company E | Red |
PMN03 | European Conceptual Design Manager | Packaging Manufacturer company F | Blue |
PMN04 | Product Design Manager (Food Packaging) | Packaging Manufacturer company G | Blue |
PMN05 | Strategic Business Director | Packaging Manufacturer company G | Red |
REC01 | Head of Recycling Assets | Waste Management company H | Blue |
NGO01 | Projects Manager | NGO company I | Red |
Stage/Task | Objective | Timescale | Justification of Use |
---|---|---|---|
1A | Understanding the current process. Each stakeholder group was asked to imagine they were developing a new piece of FTG packaging, and as a group map the existing process from design brief through to packaging launch identifying the stakeholder actions at each stage. | 40 min | The use of the provided business origami map (Figure 2) and coloured icons allowed a collaborative way for the stakeholders to discuss and plot the current FTG packaging development process. |
1B | Exploring current packaging user trials. Stakeholders were asked to plot using a yellow post-it note where current user trials are conducted in the process. They were asked if there is a need to better understand how consumers dispose of packaging out of the home. | 15 min | The identification of existing user trials in the process allowed a comparison with later tasks on future consumer behaviour testing. Collating their YES or NO answers on a Group poster (Figure A11) provided a clear visual representation. |
2 | Research Method and Findings In this stage the Investigator described the remote-ethnography and mixed-methods approach used to gain the consumer behaviour insights and introduced the ten behavioural insight sheets, see Appendix AFigure A1, Figure A2, Figure A3, Figure A4, Figure A5, Figure A6, Figure A7, Figure A8, Figure A9 and Figure A10. | 30 min | Allowed the stakeholders to firstly understand the methods used to create the insight sheets and then introduced them to the contextual, behavioural and interplay insights they were asked to evaluate. |
3A | Analysing the Insights Using the provided task table (Figure A12) each group were asked to evaluate five insights (Appendix A), stating reasons for it being interesting to the packaging development process, or not. | 30 min | Each group was given an equal mix of the insight sheets. This task allowed the stakeholders to discuss their interest and concern towards the insights with their thoughts captured on a prepared table to assist the analysis. |
3B(i) | Adapting the development process to explore consumer disposal behaviour This task aimed to find out how the participants could apply the consumer behaviour insights within the FTG development process. Using their business origami map from Stage 1 to capture their ideas. | 10 min | Stakeholders were asked to add their ideas for including behavioural insight methods, establishing where and when in the development process and in what mechanism or format such ideas could be included. |
3B (ii) | Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of incorporating behavioural insights into the FTG development process. Stakeholders ideas were captured on post-it notes and added to each Group’s task poster (Figure A13). | 5 min | Each stakeholder was asked to consider the strengths and weaknesses of incorporating behavioural insights into the FTG packaging development process. Justifying their decision. |
Process Stage | Consumer Engagement | Stakeholder Quotation |
---|---|---|
1B: Insights formed into a design brief | Multiple stakeholders provide sources of insights within the process to form a brief. Consumer influence on trends and insights to form new brief, often provided to the development team via the Marketing department. | “The consumer can influence both though, because you can get insights, trends, which can then kick off an idea for both.” (FPR06) |
4: Product and Packaging Testing Phase | Product and Packaging factory trials occur once packaging design and costings are agreed between the Packaging Manufacturer and the Food Processor. Internal validation with multiple teams: Factory, Marketing and Kitchen trials. External supply chain trial, testing product and pack performance through the distribution chain to store. | “But actually, can we get it through the distribution chain, does it work? Can it get into the store? Can the consumer pick it up? Will it work when they chuck it in their handbag and take it back into the office?” (FPR01) |
5: Product Launch Phase | Final packaged FTG product is launched into the retail store. In rare cases this will be a soft launch in store, forming a consumer trial. In most cases the product is launched without consumer testing. | “There’s very rare cases, where if I’m looking at doing something that is outside of this process, I might initiate a trial at a specific store. I might do a trial before I roll it out.” (RET01) |
6: Post Launch Review | An internal review at the end of the process to evaluate the project including the product and packaging. If launch does not provide anticipated sales volumes Food Processor may conduct instore evaluation with consumers. Feedback from consumers used as insights to start a new project. | “Particularly if we launch something that we all think is amazing and then the consumer isn’t picking it up. We will go in and try and work out why they are not.” (PMN01) |
Incorporate Behavioural Research Methods within the FTG Development Process | Alter the Supply Chain Approach to the Design and Testing of Packs with Consumers |
---|---|
Observe consumers within their FTG out of the home environment to gain insights. What people say versus what they do in context. | Stakeholders agree they need to conduct live pack trials with the consumer when implementing large scale change. |
Understand how consumers dispose of FTG packaging out of the home and therefore which waste stream FTG packs currently go within. | The supply chain needs to test packs with consumer in volume, in the real context. |
Need to improve consumer questioning to include disposal related questions. | Establishing consumer behaviour knowledge, testing existing product to guide next project within the development pipeline. |
Place consumers in the driving seat to explain the packaging solutions they would like implemented. | Use consumer knowledge to improve the disposal process, making it a positive and easy task to complete. |
Add further consumer workshops into process to explore product and packaging use. | Stakeholders need to work behind the scenes on the best materials to use for FTG packaging, promoting this to the consumer using clear messaging. |
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Share and Cite
Clark, N.; Trimingham, R.; Wilson, G.T. Incorporating Consumer Insights into the UK Food Packaging Supply Chain in the Transition to a Circular Economy. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6106. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156106
Clark N, Trimingham R, Wilson GT. Incorporating Consumer Insights into the UK Food Packaging Supply Chain in the Transition to a Circular Economy. Sustainability. 2020; 12(15):6106. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156106
Chicago/Turabian StyleClark, Nikki, Rhoda Trimingham, and Garrath T. Wilson. 2020. "Incorporating Consumer Insights into the UK Food Packaging Supply Chain in the Transition to a Circular Economy" Sustainability 12, no. 15: 6106. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156106
APA StyleClark, N., Trimingham, R., & Wilson, G. T. (2020). Incorporating Consumer Insights into the UK Food Packaging Supply Chain in the Transition to a Circular Economy. Sustainability, 12(15), 6106. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156106